Hard Lemonade
by Shadena
Summary: "A lot of things are wrong in this world, Maes, perhaps this is one of those times where the world itself is wrong." - RoyxMaes in the beginning, other pairings later.
1. The start

So much could be said about Maes Hughes, a third year in the military academy. A fun loving individual, rather goofy at times, but when the situation called for it, very keen eyes and a sharp mind. He just didn't like demonstrating it all the time, like now. He stared at the young man of Xing decent, whose face had been molded into something akin to determination, possibly a defensive maneuver to prepare for pending rejection. He supposed he should have seen this coming.

Last year he had met Roy Mustang because of the rumors going about the academy, rumors that suggested that a first year was actually a spy from Xing, of all places. Xing was hardly posing as a problem at the moment, not like the Ishbalians anyways. Xing wasn't doing any sort of foreign trade and in reality didn't like the idea of anyone entering or even leaving their borders. He supposed the idea of a country closing itself in like that would cause some nerves, but unless he saw suspicious activity in that country, he saw no real reason to suspect a young man of that particular decent to be a spy. However curiosity got a hold of him and he went to meet this first year cadet, to decide for himself. It wasn't hard to find him, not many men of Xing ancestry hung out in military camps.

He found Roy sitting at a table; head bowed, elbows in, focused completely on the mysterious mush on his plate. It amused him to see cadets or really anyone eating like that on a day off - they got one day a week because of the religious folk. You had to eat like that during a work day because you only had so much time and the goal was simply to get substance in your stomach. Also you didn't want to be fighting your partner for elbow room, just keep them to yourself and you'll get more crap down your throat. The man had plenty of room on either side of him, so there was really no reason for him to be doing such. Maes sat down across from him and watched him for a bit, waiting for the dark haired man to acknowledge he was there. No such acknowledgment came and most people would have left. Maes wasn't most people though. In fact this only encouraged him, which perhaps was what his peers found most frustrating about the personality of Second Class Cadet Hughes. Maes decided to get his attention by removing what currently had the other man's attention and reached over and pulled the tray away. Only then did the slanted, dark eyes of the individual look up to meet his own. Maes offered him a smile, "Hi, Second Class Cadet Maes Hughes." He introduced himself offering his hand so they could shake in greeting.

"You took my tray." Was all he got in return.

"I was worried for your personal health. Can never be too careful about what you put in your body." He tried countering.

"My body belongs to the military. What is put into it is up to their discretions, not my own."

Maes wanted to wince at that comment, hard core military kid right there. Most people would complain about such things if given a chance. Mark one for possible spy theory.

Hughes scrambled to find a way to respond to that comment. "Doesn't mean you have to sell your soul to them." He said with a grin to soften his statement.

"I don't recall saying anything about my soul. I only spoke of my body." Roy countered.

He was good, Maes had to give him credit there. "Come on, you should lighten up, I'm just trying to make small talk."

Maes felt the dark eyes study him and it was rather unnerving. It was like he was seeing right through him and yet those intense eyes spoke nothing of his own feelings. Eyes were said to be windows to the soul, and prior to meeting Roy, Maes could somewhat agree with that. For Roy though, his eyes seemed to reveal absolutely nothing and perhaps that's what was unnerving most people.

It was several minutes before Roy decided to speak. "Small talk? For what purpose? I am, after all, not deaf."

Maes immediately understood the implications. He was referring to the rumors. He offered Roy perhaps his goofiest and guiltiest grin. "I've been found out. So you're saying you're not a spy?"

"Would it matter if I said I was or wasn't. You've already made your assessment before you met me." He said and reached to pull his tray back to him. Maes allowed him to.

"Don't be like that. It's kind of cool. You know there isn't a lot of excitement around here. The idea of a spy in our midst is, well ... Hey! I hear there're ninjas in Xing! Is that true?" He asked, leaning  
close to Roy.

Roy looked up and scowled "How would I know? I've never been there."

Maes blinked then shrugged. "I guess not, you don't have an accent at all." He got a snort on that one. "So why are you here?"

"I'm eating."

"No, I mean in the military?"

"Why are you in the military?"

Maes blinked when the question was turned back on him. "Because I didn't know what else to do with myself."

"What makes you think my reason is any different?"

Maes tried not to get discouraged about this. So far, all he'd figured out about Roy was he'd never been to Xing and he didn't have an accent. Well, perhaps he had learned a little more. It appeared to be that Roy was trying to say that he wasn't any different than anyone else here and if people would look beyond his physical appearance, they would see that. This revelation made Maes laugh at his own  
paranoia. Obviously he had gotten as caught up in the rumor as everyone else. Now he felt the need to make it up to the man. "What are you doing tonight?" He asked.

Roy gave him an odd expression, apparently not expecting such a turn in their 'small talk', "Studying." He said unsure.

Maes grinned widely, "Great, then you can go to Twilight with me."

Again he got no real facial response over such a comment. He knew he had heard of the place though - everyone had heard of Twilight, especially around here. Military cadets often went there because the girls smelled sweeter at Twilight than at Loose Tooth, another infamous bar among cadets. He saw that Roy was about to speak when Maes quickly got up, not wanting to be rejected. "Great, I'll see you at the gate at 1800 hours." Then he left, not giving the other man a chance to accept or decline.

Long story short Roy had in fact gone with Maes that night, and though Roy hadn't danced with any girls the first few times they went out, it wasn't long before the two of them became really close friends and he relaxed enough to start enjoying the company of the female gender in a dance or two the nights they were out.

It wasn't long before Maes had found out about Roy's ambition to become a state alchemist; that he was in fact saving money to take the test. Which led them to where they were now, Roy looking up at him again with those unreadable eyes and Maes scrambling as to what to say. How was he able to do that? It was a mystery that Roy would probably take to the grave or at least wouldn't tell Maes before he went to take the state alchemist test in a week's time. He opened his mouth, "You're joking right?" Maes asked.

"Do I appear to be joking?"

_Sometimes I can't tell with you_, he answered mentally, "Apparently not." He sat down on his own bed. The two of them became roommates back at the beginning of Roy's second year and Maes' third.  
He scratched the back of his neck, "you know that it'swell"

"Wrong?" Roy filled in for him. Maes winced but nodded his head anyways. "A lot of things are wrong in this world, Maes. Perhaps this is one of those times where the world itself is wrong."

Maes couldn't argue with that. After all, that was why they were here, wasn't it; to right the wrongs of the world? A tall order, yes, but it would be impossible to accomplish if they didn't first right the  
wrongs in their own lives, including perception. Was this one of those times? He studied the man before him for a long time. Maybe it was. They say don't judge a book by its cover and that was something Roy had really taught him.

Maes leaned over across the span between their two twin beds and rested his lips on Roy's. He felt Roy tense for a moment before relaxing into the kiss and returned it. Maes pulled back and looked at Roy who looked back at him, both of them mulling over what just happened. On Maes' part, it was actually perhaps the best kiss he'd ever had. Maybe it's because the girls he'd kissed, he'd never had a  
relationship with before, where Roy and him were best friends. Or maybe, just maybe, there really was something right about this. Something the world was wrong about, something that they needed to  
correct.

* * *

Thanks to my two Betas for helping me with this story. I asked for all three of our sakes that if you read you also review so that we know where to take it from here. After all this is only the first of hopefully many chapters. And for legality's sake I claim no ownership of Fullmetal Alchemist.


	2. Distraction

Roy licked his lips, quickly recalling the kiss he had received the night before. He had really enjoyed it. Honestly, he hadn't expected it to go so well. He thought for sure Maes would reject him and he had been ready for it. Instead he had gotten a kiss. He smiled a bit but resisted the urge to touch his lips and remember it more fully. The way Maes' 5 o'clock shadow scratched his smoother chin and - "Mustang!" Roy was startled back into the present.

He was standing in line with several other cadets in his class, all at attention and had been for the past hour, except him. He quickly left his relaxed state to stiffen his back and shoulders. The Sergeant's scowling face filled his view suddenly. The man's pressed, thin lips accented the lines on either side of his mouth. He had a fat nose and he squinted his eyes as if he had a hard time seeing Roy, which Roy knew was not the case. He could feel the hot air from the Sergeants nose on his chin and parts of his neck - the man's face was so close to him. "Since you seemed to be enjoying your day dream so much, I think I'll give you more time to do it. The rest of you spineless cadets go to lunch." He growled and they quickly went to leave, the Sergeant following after them, leaving the lone figure of Cadet Roy Mustang standing at attention. Damn, now he was missing lunch.

Roy flopped down onto his bed that night, welcoming its blissful comfort but only for a short, sweet moment, as he needed to study. It was so hard though, trying to force himself to get out of bed once he had laid down in it. His pillow seemed to cradle his head just so, and the bed supported his stiff limbs. His eyelids began to feel as heavy as his appendages and he decided he was just going to rest them, just for a moment, then he'd study.

Suddenly the bed dipped down and he opened his eyes, moving to sit up quickly. His head smacked into something hard, like a rock. He cried out and his head fell back into the bed and he heard another voice curse beside him. He looked over at the voice and frowned at Maes. "What hell was that for?" He growled.

Maes was holding his own forehead and gave him a sheepish grin, having no apparent excuse for his actions. "A little early to be sleeping huh? I was thinking we would go to Twilight but if the little colt needs some sleep," He was cut off by a pillow hitting his face. Roy hated it when Maes said things like that.

"I was resting, not sleeping. I still have to study, idiot." He scoffed and went to get up out of bed to do just that, but thick arms wrapped around his stomach pulling him back down onto the bed. "Don't be so grumpy." He heard Maes' voice very close to his ear and suppressed a shiver at the hot breath that tickled the small hairs on his neck. He felt the other mans teeth on the shell of his ear and a tongue flick behind it as if tasting him. He struggled to hold back a groan. He had no idea doing that to his ear would feel so good. "Maes, I have to study! My test is in a few days." He reminded him, moving to get up again.

The arms merely tightened their hold for a moment before pulling him until he was flat on his back on the bed. "You study too much as it is. Your brain is going to explode and I'll have to clean up the mess. And you know how I feel about cleaning." He said as his face got closer to Roy's.

The Xing man could feel his pants getting tighter but he still scowled. "I don't have time for this. Do you realize how long it'll take me to raise the money again if I don't make it in this-" He was cut off when Hughes covered Roy's mouth with his own, effectively eating his words.

The lips were familiar, yet new to him and perhaps even more exciting than the first time. He had been day dreaming about their kiss practically all day. How good it had felt, how right. Roy's hands clinched Hughes' black T shirt as if he couldn't decide if he wanted to push him away or pull him closer. He really did need to study. The pleasure won out though and he opened his mouth, inviting in the other man's tongue, and slid his own alongside that of the guest's.

He felt Maes' knee slide higher between his legs and Roy couldn't help but rub himself against it, much the same way as the taller man was doing against his own leg. Both groaned as Roy's hands went to Maes' dark hair pushing their mouths closer together, feeling his stubble against his own smooth shaven face. Their teeth clicked together as they molested each other's orifices. His pants were getting unbearably tight by the friction and he couldn't seem to stop himself anymore. Their chests were pressed together as if they were attempting to mold into one another.

Roy was a good kisser, learned from his sisters not that Maes would know or understand that. He was so much more familiar with a females body in his position than a man that he faltered some when he dropped his hand from his hair to the mans chest. It was hard like a mans should be but there wasnt really anything there to play with. He wondered briefly what he should do.

Roy, youre thinking too much. Hughes whispered in his ear. Apparently he had stopped moving and his face had twis ted into his thinking face. Just go with it.

His hips raised and Maes ground his own hard against his thigh. I am going with it.

No, youre thinking about it, youre not feeling it. Well part of you isnt feeling it, this is the only part that probably is. He chuckled reaching between them and giving Roy a squeeze, causing the shorter man to grunt. So stop thinking so much and save that brain for studying.

Studying, shit, he was supposed to be studying, not doing this with Hughes. I gotta study. He struggled to get out from under the other man. I told you that already this is not the time.

Come on Roy, He whined, You cant be serious, Im hard here. He pushed him down by his shoulders and pinning him to the bed. A disgruntled look appeared on his friends face. And so are you. He continued.

Roy didnt respond verbally, knowing the other was right, it would take more effort to ignore this than it would to simply take care of it. He pushed his mouth against his again licking the seam of his lips until he opened up for him. Maes groaned inside of his mouth as the two of them resumed what they were doing.

Roys hands went down between Maess flexing shoulder blades as Maes began to suck on a patch of skin on his neck. Mustang eagerly lifted his chin to allow it. He reached around and in between them grabbing ahold of the larger mans shirt he used surprise as a way to flip them. They very nearly fell off the small bed, if Maess foot hadnt went down quickly onto the floor stopping him from continuing his decent they would have.

Roy said nothing as he went for the throat sucking on the adams apple there, one hand slid up his shirt feeling the expansion of the other mans chest. Thats when he felt it, he was going to cum. He gripped the dark hair tightly, pulling it as he tensed up, stifling a cry as he came in his pants.

As he was coming down from his orgasm he felt Maes come against his leg and the two of them, short on breath, pulled away a bit to stare at each other. Whether this was planned or not, it was certain that their friendship had shifted to a level beyond friendship, and even beyond kissing. For Roy, this was unfamiliar territory. Sure he had a few casual dates, but none of them had been like this. He had never taken any of those girls to bed, though he had been tempted a few times, the thought of footing the bill for the hotel room kept him from doing so. This was different though. This wasn't about lust. Well, not completely. There was something more between them.

He sat up and put his face in his hands. . Maybe it hadn't been the smartest idea to open this can of before he went to take his test. Now he just wanted to lay here with Maes and that just wouldn't do at all. "Maes, Im going to go get cleaned up and study now. He got no response perhaps Maes was also in a bit of a shock, too, after what they just did.

Roy got up off of the bed and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He leaned against the other side of the door and touched his mouth, replaying what had just happened. He closed his eyes and gave a small smile before cleaning himself and his pants. Now he really did need to study. He'd give Maes credit though, he felt a lot more relaxed now, oddly enough. 


End file.
